MOLDED HAY

[Chaos USMC]

This was my first year actually doing my own hay, learned a lot. Some good, some bad.

Have probably 80 bales of hay that I suspect were bailed before it was dried completely. Those bales are/were in various stages of developing mold. Some are black and others have light mold dust. Anyway, the wife will not use any of that particular hay for her goats, so, time to get rid of it. I have most of it gone thus far, breaking down the bales and scattering it into the tree-lines/fence-lines surrounding some of my fields. I also busted bales and made a fairly large compost pile (15'x15'x3'deep) figuring I can use it in the next few years for the garden, etc. Now I have roughly 20 bales left to get rid of. Just waiting on the rain to quit.

Has anyone else made an old hay compost pile? Any tricks? Anything that will hasten the decomposition of the hay in the compost? How long before one might expect some good compost? Should I make the pile any deeper/thicker? Anything I should add to the pile? (I have some left over lime from recently doing a couple of my fields, but, I hear lime is not good for compost)

What have you used old, moldy hay for?

Thanks.

 

[Roadworthy]

Of course you could use bales for archery target practice. The addition of nitrogen speeds composting, as does keeping it moist and turning the pile frequently. The "processed hay" the goats leave lying around will add nitrogen to your compost heap as will hair clippings from the local barber shop. Properly done you can begin to see compost in a couple of weeks. This magic is usually observed first at the bottom of the pile.

 

[LouNY]

It is a bit late to say but I would definitely recommend a respirator or an extremly good dust mask when handling moldy hay,
those spoors can get into your lungs easily.

As far as composting it keep it damp and any manure added to it will help.
If it cooks up hot enough it may kill some of the weed seeds in your hay.

 

[Trillium Farm]

We've all had moulding bales at one time or another, I had 11 ac of trefoil that was rained on and moulding, unless you have a depression that needs filling up I find the best way is to set fire to them and spread the ashes, which are good fertilizer. This is the most time effective way.

 

[Chaos USMC]

Thanks for the great input folks, appreciate the information and comments.

Should have thought about a mask sooner, I did do my best to stay downwind. Would be interesting to hear from anyone on TBN about any real world experience with the possible medical concerns and symptoms. Guess I will try to look it up.

Be safe and be well.

 

[Chaos USMC]

Here is a good read regarding "Farmers Lung", from mold spores of various types.

NASD - Farmer's Lung

 

[zzvyb6]

Hay has a lot of energy in it. When some of mine go bad, I burn it in an all metal garden cart and use it for heating me and tools. I keep stirring it so hardly any smoke develops. The smell is nice, too.

 

[PROFarms]

I’ve found this year with some bales that were baled perfectly but not stored quick enough the outside few layers of the bale have started to rot or go mouldy. Some have even started growing grass! Not the cattle are in for winter I’ve just been using those outside few rounds of the bale and chucking it in for bedding for them to bulk out straw - we are very short of straw this year so actually is helping out quite a lot! Think by the end of the winter we will probably be bedding with entirely hay anyway as we have so much of it and so little straw!!

From previous experience keep the compost heap moving and keep it damp! I know people who have emptied 1000L tanks onto their broken up hay bales and just chucked a few wheelbarrow loads of already rotten manure/compost on it just to help it get going quicker. Once it starts to go it should heat up and go quite quickly

 

[5030]

Moldy rounds make nice deterrents for my neighbors attitudes toward me spreading manure I wait for the wind to be blowing the right way and light off a nasty bale. They get the hint pretty quick. Hard to beat a nice damp moldy round for stink value.

 

[zzvyb6]

Moldy rounds make nice deterrents for my neighbors attitudes toward me spreading manure I wait for the wind to be blowing the right way and light off a nasty bale. They get the hint pretty quick. Hard to beat a nice damp moldy round for stink value.

Hay + manure burns with a subtle, inquisitive, alluring and sensuous smell that stimulates the old factories. Kinda like burning cork. I recommend it for all attempts at displeasing, warning, and terrorizing your ungrateful neighbors. The smoke alone is a richly rewarding and satisfying presence (in the right wind direction, of course !). Adding some diesel, old roofing shingles and some plastic gives it an additional aroma not commonly appreciated by the many. An old tire carcass can provide a truly 5G communication experience, too.

 

[5030]

Hay + manure burns with a subtle, inquisitive, alluring and sensuous smell that stimulates the old factories. Kinda like burning cork. I recommend it for all attempts at displeasing, warning, and terrorizing your ungrateful neighbors. The smoke alone is a richly rewarding and satisfying presence (in the right wind direction, of course !). Adding some diesel, old roofing shingles and some plastic gives it an additional aroma not commonly appreciated by the many. An old tire carcass can provide a truly 5G communication experience, too.

Old tires (not steel belted) and old roofing work, but only after the sun goes down so no one can see the unburned hydrocarbons, just smell them.... Besides, roasting tires in the daytime is sure to bring out the volunteer fire department.

Myself, I find a nasty damp old moldy round bale to be a sufficient deterrent to whining about the smell of fresh cattle dung, spread on a fallow field. Sure beats anhydrous stink.

Actually, only had to do that one time. Some city folk bought the place down the road and I own the field next to their lot and I spread cattle manure in the field and before I could chisel it in they were on the phone whining about the stink so I gave them something to really whine about. Never heard a peep after that.

Like Paul Harvey used to say.... 'now you know the rest of the story'.

Think if I had some moldy squares, I'd set them aside and in the spring, plant potato starts and pumpkin seeds in the bales, cucumbers and green beans too. Lady down the way grows her entire garden in moldy hay and straw bales, grows some very nice vegetables too.

 

[5030]

I致e found this year with some bales that were baled perfectly but not stored quick enough the outside few layers of the bale have started to rot or go mouldy. Some have even started growing grass! Not the cattle are in for winter I致e just been using those outside few rounds of the bale and chucking it in for bedding for them to bulk out straw - we are very short of straw this year so actually is helping out quite a lot! Think by the end of the winter we will probably be bedding with entirely hay anyway as we have so much of it and so little straw!!

From previous experience keep the compost heap moving and keep it damp! I know people who have emptied 1000L tanks onto their broken up hay bales and just chucked a few wheelbarrow loads of already rotten manure/compost on it just to help it get going quicker. Once it starts to go it should heat up and go quite quickly

You need to invest in a moisture tester and check it before bailing. Myself, I have a Delmhorst but they are super expensive. AgTronics in Streetsboro, Ohio makes a nice line of handheld and continuous in bale chamber moisture testers. Using a moisture tester for RM will save you lots of grief. You really don't want to bale much above 15%RM unless you apply preservative, but that is another animal entirely.

 

[aczlan]

You need to invest in a moisture tester and check it before bailing. Myself, I have a Delmhorst but they are super expensive. AgTronics in Streetsboro, Ohio makes a nice line of handheld and continuous in bale chamber moisture testers. Using a moisture tester for RM will save you lots of grief. You really don't want to bale much above 15%RM unless you apply preservative, but that is another animal entirely.

A moisture meter is a whole lot cheaper than a new barn, or the vet/Dr bill from mouldy hay...

Aaron Z

 

[Wagtail]

Hay + manure burns with a subtle, inquisitive, alluring and sensuous smell that stimulates the (old factories) olfactory. Kinda like burning cork. I recommend it for all attempts at displeasing, warning, and terrorizing your ungrateful neighbors. The smoke alone is a richly rewarding and satisfying presence (in the right wind direction, of course !). Adding some diesel, old roofing shingles and some plastic gives it an additional aroma not commonly appreciated by the many. An old tire carcass can provide a truly 5G communication experience, too.

FTFY

 

[sloeffle]

I bought some moldy hay one year for $48 a ton. I used it for bedding for our cows. They'd also pick through it and eat some of it too. Goats are ruminants too so they should be able to handle a little bit of moldy hay. High dollar hay burners ( horses ) are another story.

Folks around here are getting $7 for a 40lb bale of straw so I thought it was a no brainer to use it as bedding. The OSU folks say that each ton of hay has around 15 - $20 worth of fertilizer value in it. If you have a way to chop it ( feed grinder ) and spread it ( manure spreader ), that'd be the route I'd take.

 

[zzvyb6]

FTFY

No need to fix it, I like to pun. Besides, those smells are familiar to 'old factory' workers who used to be employed in the mills in my home town. This now brings back some memories. A few days after I left for college, the fellow who took my job in the blast furnace department at Bethlehem Steel was killed by a steam explosion.

 

[Chaos USMC]

Some of you folks are having way to much fun with bad hay... I am keeping good notes though for future use (tires, shingles, manure, etc...)!

A moisture meter for next season, for sure.

BTW, tomorrow be sure to tell a veteran "thanks".

Be safe and be well.

 

[5030]

Speaking of roasting a moldy bale, did one today. Had an almost full round bale (4x5) in one of the cattle feeders (my feeders take rounds but are off the ground and have fold in bats on each side so the cattle cannot strew it and pee on it like normal round bale feeders and they have roofs on them as well.

Anyway the one feeder had a round in it from spring and I needed to get rid of it so I roasted it today but I piled dead limbs on top of it before I lit it up so the burning wood would reburn the stinky smoke. Worked very well actually. Very little smoke and it's all gone. Was calm here today to what smoke it did make, went straight up...lol

 

[PROFarms]

You need to invest in a moisture tester and check it before bailing. Myself, I have a Delmhorst but they are super expensive. AgTronics in Streetsboro, Ohio makes a nice line of handheld and continuous in bale chamber moisture testers. Using a moisture tester for RM will save you lots of grief. You really don't want to bale much above 15%RM unless you apply preservative, but that is another animal entirely.

I have a moisture tester, and the hay itself was bales at 12%. My problem was it got rained on a lot after bailing and that’s when it started to rot on the outside. Stacked outside and tarped and kept well away from everything else!

 

[5030]

I have a moisture tester, and the hay itself was bales at 12%. My problem was it got rained on a lot after bailing and that’s when it started to rot on the outside. Stacked outside and tarped and kept well away from everything else!

Keep all mine inside. I played that outside 'crap' way back when, then I realized inside was much better. Tarping hay outside promotes spoilage. The tarp condenses water and it drips on the bales that cannot breathe so they rot.... and stink too.